Every few months I get an incredibly powerful urge to lock myself away and write in copious quantities. It distracts me for hours every day, gives me headaches, makes my hands ache, keeps me awake at night, etc.
I've not had sufficient time in the past <10 years due to full-time work and evening uni (but I graduated in October w00t). After a few weeks/months it goes away for a while, usually because I'm too exhausted to do anything about it.
This week it's started happening again, right when I've got metric arseloads to do at work and extended family is living in my tiny flat for two weeks, and it's driving me mental. Stumbling upon an old notebook full of otm ideas has only made it worse.
― Autumn Almanac, Friday, 11 January 2008 02:21 (eighteen years ago)
^ cathartic whinge
get something down. it's what i'm doing at this very moment in fact
― Just got offed, Friday, 11 January 2008 02:23 (eighteen years ago)
Finding the time right now is impossible though. I'm at work now (and getting huge amounts done), and banging out posts between/during tasks to keep myself awake. This is not quality writing time, and I don't have any at all for at least the next two weeks. Hence the crazy bonkers gnawing at elbows etc.
― Autumn Almanac, Friday, 11 January 2008 02:26 (eighteen years ago)
^^hoosin' it doubletime here
― omar little, Friday, 11 January 2008 02:35 (eighteen years ago)
I thought this would be a thread about RSIs.
― libcrypt, Friday, 11 January 2008 02:53 (eighteen years ago)
1. stop posting to ILX 2. wake up an hour early every day (or every other day) and just write
― Dr. Superman, Friday, 11 January 2008 03:05 (eighteen years ago)
Almy, these suggestions may or may not be useful, but...
3. Do it in little 30 sec bursts 4. Write aphorisms 5. Write to a private blog in short bursts (instead of writing to ILX) 6. Write in the middle of the night when everyone's asleep
― moley, Friday, 11 January 2008 03:17 (eighteen years ago)
7. Take a sick day or two and go to the library to write.
I truly believe these moments of irresistable creative urge are a gift and should never be wasted - move the furniture of your life around to make room for action, as it won't last, but the creative results will.
― moley, Friday, 11 January 2008 03:20 (eighteen years ago)
Develop insomnia. The two things (insomina + urge to write) always come in pairs for me; one handling the other.
― Mordechai Shinefield, Friday, 11 January 2008 03:25 (eighteen years ago)
1. is obvious yet sterling advice. 2. is a fantastic idea. Might be hard to pull off (I get up at 5.30 most days) but I'll give it a try. 3. Brilliant. 4. Brilliant. 5. The blog is there but I'm crap at committing to it (see post #1). You're bang on in that this needs to be rectified. 6. q.v. point 2 7. I'm too conscientiousness for that and have sod-all leave owing. 7b. Absolutely agree; in fact I'm trying to find ways to do that right now.
Youse are all ace.
― Autumn Almanac, Friday, 11 January 2008 03:30 (eighteen years ago)
The library one is pwning me. I can 'book' time to disappear for a few hours so nobody hassles me or thinks I'm available.
― Autumn Almanac, Friday, 11 January 2008 03:31 (eighteen years ago)
Awesome!! Libraries are a great place to write.
― moley, Friday, 11 January 2008 03:32 (eighteen years ago)
I've always meant to pop into the state library reading room and noodle away for a few hours. It has a certain gravitas I think'd be nice for writing.
My urge to write fiction has completely disappeared in recent months. I'm ok with this, as my urge to write music has come forward instead. It's a little tricker: jams annoy the neighbours (we live in a flat), but PC based trackers and so on are do-able.
No idea why my writing desires are so completely gone though.
― Trayce, Friday, 11 January 2008 03:35 (eighteen years ago)
You are writing doom goth metal drone, yes?
― moley, Friday, 11 January 2008 04:10 (eighteen years ago)
lolz
Trayce, p'raps your urges are just musical at the moment, or maybe you've just not got the right stimulation/inspiration for words.
― Autumn Almanac, Friday, 11 January 2008 04:14 (eighteen years ago)
You don't want to write because you got a boy and you're happy with that boy. ;p
― Mikey Bidness, Friday, 11 January 2008 04:22 (eighteen years ago)
You want to make sweeeet music
― moley, Friday, 11 January 2008 04:44 (eighteen years ago)
Ahahaha. Maybe!
― Trayce, Friday, 11 January 2008 04:47 (eighteen years ago)
Write a critique of a book you know.
Then throw away the book, and completely rewrite the book yourself -- different setting, plot, topic, eveytying -- so that your critique of it still makes sense.
― Mackro Mackro, Friday, 11 January 2008 04:47 (eighteen years ago)
That's a good trick.
― moley, Friday, 11 January 2008 04:49 (eighteen years ago)
That's a brilliant antidote to writer's block. (My problem is not writer's block.)
― Autumn Almanac, Friday, 11 January 2008 04:52 (eighteen years ago)
Killing me today. Fortunately I'll have at least two several-hour blocks of free time at the weekend. THIS IS KEEPING ME GOING.*
* through a ~50-hour week + mother-in-law filling our tiny flat
― Autumn Almanac, Wednesday, 23 January 2008 02:30 (eighteen years ago)
^ whinge, feel free to ignore
You can always find at least a half hour every day to sit down & write. Unless you're a sex slave or whatnot.
― mulla atari, Wednesday, 23 January 2008 02:55 (eighteen years ago)
5.30am: get up, go to gym 8.30am: arrive at work 7.00pm: leave work 9.30pm: go to bed
^ is my life atm. Mother-in-law being ever-present and me being knackered from work means there's isn't half an hour a day. There will be in a couple of weeks though.
― Autumn Almanac, Wednesday, 23 January 2008 02:57 (eighteen years ago)
TWO THOUSAND WORDS, FUCK.
I think 'blue balls' is an apposite phrase here.
― Autumn Almanac, Sunday, 27 January 2008 08:43 (eighteen years ago)